The unity of 9/12

 How do we get the unity of 9/12 without the tragedy of 9/11?

After watching last night’s debate, it’s clear that the goal was to divide us even more. To push us to pick a side or dig our heels in even deeper on the side we’re on. But what if we were all on the same team with different opinions about the play we should run?

There was a day… maybe even a week when this was true…

After 9/11, there was a sense of unity that went beyond politics or personal beliefs. The opinions that people had didn’t go away overnight. They were just overshadowed by more important things that we’ve since lost sight of.

People helped each other without hesitation. Neighbors talked. Strangers said hi as they passed on the street. We weren’t being told to put our primary focus on our differences, but on what mattered most—taking care of each other.

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

Unity doesn’t mean we always agree, but it does mean we treat each other with respect, grace, and love.

There are moments that refocus us on the important things. God help us if an event big enough to refocus us comes now. We are so far out of focus that we are nearly blind.

And those who lost their lives and the loved ones of those lost deserve better. They deserve neighborhoods to care for one another. They deserve us to lean into our similarities before our differences. They deserve for us to… be human again.

So I ask the question again. How do we get the unity of 9/12 without the tragedy of 9/11?